Statement on the Approval of Sen. Sessions for U.S. Attorney General

Sacramento, CA – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California released the following statement from President Laphonza Butler following the Senate’s vote to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions as Attorney General:

“From taking a fire hose to the Voting Rights Act to pushing a racist and unconstitutional immigration order and religious test for refugees, Sen. Sessions’ agenda reads like a chapter from the darkest days of our nation’s past. We applaud California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris for taking a principled stand against his confirmation.

“As Coretta Scott King herself noted when opposing Sen. Sessions for a federal judgeship in 1986, ‘Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters. For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be rewarded with a federal judgeship.’

“This fundamental assessment of the character of his actions stands today and must be known. It should have guided the Senate’s action, but it did not.

“California stands ready to defend the rights of women, immigrants, people of color, and LGBT people, regardless of who the U.S. Attorney General is.”